Newsletter

Wiz Khalifa ‘raps rhymes that would make your grandma blush’ this Sunday

Rap artist to play July 17 in St. Augustine Amphitheatre

Rap artist Wiz Khalifa will be on stage at 7 p.m. July 17 in the St. Augustine Amphitheatre.

Wiz Khalifa probably isn’t the kind of guy you’d want to take home to meet mom and dad — he’s vocal and voracious about his pot smoking, there’s not much fresh flesh left among his hundreds of tattoos and he raps rhymes that would make your grandma blush.

His most notable ink is a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. on his chest: “The ultimate measure of a Man is not where He stands in moments of comfort and convenience. But where He stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

No matter his idiosyncrasies, Khalifa is a talented dude. At just 23 years old, Khalifa’s (born Cameron Jibril Thomaz) newest album, “Rolling Papers” released this past March on Atlantic Records, debuted at number 2 with more than 198,000 albums sold — just behind Britney Spears — and his hit single “Black & Yellow” featuring Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Based in Pittsburgh, Penn., Khalifa’s one of the youngest and hottest acts in the rap world — landing him on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, an opening slot for Wu-Tang Clan member U-Dog, a 2010 South by Southwest Music Festival gig, an extensive tour with Yelawolf and now, his own “Rolling Papers” headlining tour that’s taking him all over the world.

“There were people who didn’t believe in what I was doing at first, so I just took a lot of time to build that up, being on top of things to make everything better,” Khalifa explained in a recent interview in Interview Magazine.

“I started rapping so I could fit in, and then I got kind of good at it. When I was, like, 14, I told my dad what I wanted to do, and he bought me some equipment. Then I just made it happen.”

Khalifa’s high-energy stage presence and perpetual hard work mixed with catchy R&B tunes and clever rhymes make him one of the biggest buzz acts.

Wiz Khalifa performs on Sunday, July 17 at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. Doors open at 6 p.m. Show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $21.50 and $31.50.